Archive for the 'Side Dishes' Category

Hot Pink Hummus with Fresh Beets

Published on September 8, 2010 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegan Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Hummus with fresh beets

As many of you know, if you’re Facebook-friendly with me, I am a bit of a hummus addict. I would eat it every day if I could, I do believe. I love garlicky hummus, lemony hummus, hummus with and without tahini, hummus with avocados and coconut oil,  hummus with roasted red peppers, hummus with pine nuts, hummus with “40 spices”, hummus with sundried tomatoes. I love it in wraps, I love it as a dip for crudite or tortilla chips, I love it spread on toast, I love it just plain eaten by the spoonful. You could say I’m a little obsessed. So when I saw  hot pink hummus in the prepared food section of my local co-op, I knew I had to give it a try. Continue reading ‘Hot Pink Hummus with Fresh Beets’

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Corn Fritter Salad Stack Recipe – Celebrate Summer’s End with a Meatless Monday Labor Day Feast

Published on September 6, 2010 in Entrees, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegetarian Entrees. 13 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
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Corn Fritter Salad Stack with Tomatoes and Arugula

“Sex is good, but not as good as sweet, fresh corn.”  — Garrison Keillor

I agree with America’s favorite radio host that corn – while sweet and fresh – is one of the very best simple pleasures of life. When I bite into a steamy ear dripping with butter and salt, I  just want to stand up and shout “Life is GOOD!” Naturally, I am always looking for easy recipes that will enhance corn’s golden goodness. Especially easy, flavorful and healthy meals. Yes, I did use the word “healthy,” which corn is when eaten in its whole state. I was inspired by this month’s Cooking Light recipe, but skipped the flavored mayo and left out the meat for Meatless Monday.

(**Food Trivia Question: Is corn a vegetable or a grain? See the end of this post for the answer!)

There are two schools of thought on corn fritters: deep fry them so they’ll be globe shaped, or make them pancake style. I think you can tell by the photo which style I chose. That way, you can make a pretty stacks with a little dressed arugula and some ripe tomatoes. And, a bonus: this easy dinner takes 20 minutes, max – even if you have to shuck the corn!

Continue reading ‘Corn Fritter Salad Stack Recipe – Celebrate Summer’s End with a Meatless Monday Labor Day Feast’

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Zucchini Recipe Festival: Charred Salsa Verde Recipe for Fab Frugal Friday

Published on September 3, 2010 in Appetizers, Frugal Tips, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegan Recipes. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
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Charred Zucchini Salsa Verde served over Cottage Cheese

It’s the end of summer – time for a foodie zucchini festival!

With gardens overflowing with zucchini and several of my neighbors anonymously leaving large summer squashes at my doorstep and then running before I could catch them, I decided to char the zukes on the grill and blend up some salsa verde. Verdict: zucchini and chiles: a match made in heaven!

(Nostalgic Note: I used to eat salsa as a child served over cottage cheese (pictured above). I know,  I know. It sounds weird, but the salty mild cottage cheese pairs perfectly with spicy salsa. Yum! Serve any salsa this way, especially if you have kids!)

Yes, Fab Frugal Food and zucchini go way back. Check out our Zucchini Crudo Salad, Wholegrain Zucchini Cakes, or our Oven Fried Zucchini Crisps.

And, everyone knows in their bones that  zucchini should be on our “must-eat-more-of” lists. They are packed with nutrients and yet are low-calorie and low-carb. And few things are more frugal than zucchini in season. So. What’s not to love?

Continue reading ‘Zucchini Recipe Festival: Charred Salsa Verde Recipe for Fab Frugal Friday’

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Simple Tabbouleh Recipe with Millet and Fresh Parsley

Published on September 1, 2010 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegan Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

This has always been one of my favorite sides, and alas, I’m currently in a land without Middle Eastern restaurants. I happily make hummus all the time, but haven’t been making my own tabbouleh (a.k.a. tabbouli, and other transliterated variations) due to the cracked wheat factor,  since we have some gluten issues around here. Rice would be too heavy. I like quinoa a lot, and Kalyn’s Kitchen recently did a very good one using quinoa, but I decided to try millet, and I think it turned out to be a great substitute. Do try!  Continue reading ‘Simple Tabbouleh Recipe with Millet and Fresh Parsley’

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Tangy Summer Slaw

Published on July 29, 2010 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegan Recipes. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Slaws are absolutely EVERYWHERE these days. I had been tinkering with different ones for a while when I happened upon a spicy slaw from Elana’s Pantry, and it sounded like almost exactly what I had been looking for! I wanted a little more tang and a little less heat and adapted it accordingly, but I think either version of the recipe is perfect for a summer side. Continue reading ‘Tangy Summer Slaw’

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Celebrate the Fourth! Red, White and Blueberry Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Published on June 26, 2010 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegan Recipes. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

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Sure, we love those pretty flag cakes with the white frosting, red strawberries lined up like stripes and blueberry stars in the corner. But I wanted to make something different yet festive – a patriotic salad. What to make that has those All-American colors? How about protein powerhouse white(ish) quinoa, red strawberries and blueberries. I know, I know. Quinoa is usually eaten savory style but I think it is a perfect mild canvas for sweet flavors.

This dish is  a perfect Fourth of July recipe: a mayo-free refreshing fruity salad that can even go along on your next picnic. And the sweet tangy grapefruit vinaigrette is sublime! And, if you leave off the yogurt drizzle this is a great vegan dish.

So, cut yourself some watermelon triangles and place them in a star shape around the edges of your platter with the quinoa salad heaped in the middle. Drizzle on some Greek yogurt for a stripe-like flag effect. Then, just stand back and salute!

Happy Fourth, Everyone!

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Meatless Monday: Zucchini Crudo with Lemon Vinaigrette, Dill and Feta (with inspiration from Iron Chef Michael Symon)

Published on June 7, 2010 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes and Vegetarian Entrees. 10 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
Zucchini Crudo Salad Inspired by Iron Chef Michael Symon

Zucchini Crudo Salad Inspired by Iron Chef Michael Symon

Iron Chef Michael Symon is known for his love affair with meats, especially pork. In his new cookbook, Live to Cook, he even has a recipe for fried pig’s ears!  Yikes. So, it was ironic that the recipe that caught my eye while I was thumbing through his book at a bookstore recently was a Zucchini Crudo Salad. Chef Symon himself described it as “jaw-dropping good.” If the King of Pork says that about raw zucchini, you simply must sit up and take notice. I hurried home and made a fab frugal version. Only the best for Meatless Monday, I say!

Turns out Chef Symon is right. This raw zucchini and yellow squash ( think extra healthy!) salad is truly speechless good. The only thing it needed for my taste buds was a salty element, so I added crumbled feta. Result: summery deliciousness on a plate! You must eat it right away to get the full crispness of the squashes – it does not keep at all in the fridge. Put this on your “Must-Try” list in the height of zucchini madness season this summer!

Continue reading ‘Meatless Monday: Zucchini Crudo with Lemon Vinaigrette, Dill and Feta (with inspiration from Iron Chef Michael Symon)’

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Meatless Monday: Wholegrain Confetti Zucchini Cakes

Published on May 31, 2010 in Entrees, Side Dishes and Vegetarian Entrees. 11 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I have been trying for about a year now to come up with a vegetarian version of crab cakes, a perfect task for Meatless Mondays. My family members can testify if need be: at least two dozen attempts.

Then my neighbor Joyce,  who owns the on-line business Dr. Grandma’s specializing in healthy and convenient products, decided to host a recipe contest using her products. My favorites are her whole-grain muffin and pancake mixes. ( If you can’t find Dr Grandmas where you live, you can buy Dr G’s online or  just use any multigrain pancake mix that requires the addition of an egg.) I decided to toy with making a veggie pancake using veggies with just a bit of pancake mix as a binder to hold the veggies in a patty while cooking.

Since zucchini season is coming, I went heavy on the zuks, but you can try any grated veggie you like. These are so tasty and make perfect sides for your main course, or three of them make a fine vegetarian entree. They take only about 20 minutes to make – a great healthy weeknight meal! I like them drizzled with a Greek yogurt sauce mixed with a little Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and some cumin. Yum.

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S.O.S. Challenge: Wilted Spinach Salad with Thai Peanut Vinaigrette

Published on May 19, 2010 in Entrees, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegan Recipes and Vegetarian Entrees. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

It’s strange. I don’t like peanut butter, but a good spicy Thai peanut sauce is one of my favorite things. I love it drizzled on just about everything and I discovered that it is a fabulous flavor pair with spinach. This recipe is re-worked to make it low-glycemic and vegan this time around and for the May vegan recipe challenge – SOS (a.k.a Sweet or Savory) - by Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs and Kim of Affairs of Living. We agree with these two fabulous food bloggers: spinach is one of the healthiest things you can put in your mouth – calorie for calorie dark greens have the most nutrients of any food! We should all eat it every day!

I always had trouble making good peanut sauce until it finally dawned on me: to have really good Thai peanut sauce, you must start with really good peanut butter. It was one of those “Duh” moments for me!  It is a little more expensive, but you only use a little and it is well worth it. I like the all-natural “dark roasted” style with only two ingredients: salt and peanuts. I made this recipe with the idea of serving it cold on salads, so it is more like a vinaigrette than a sauce you would serve warm with chicken. I must admit that I tried to mimic Trader Joe’s Peanut Vinaigrette, which is also good BUT mine turned out even better – fresher tasting and more of a flavor punch!

I very lightly and briefly sauteed some rough chopped spinach for less than a minute until it just barely started to wilt. You could also blanch it quickly in boiling water. I then drained it and drizzled it with peanut vinaigrette, and sprinkled it with some diced roasted peanuts. Wow! Such an explosion of flavors!

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Avocado Challenge: Avocado Coconut Milk Custards with Toasted Spiced Hazelnuts

Published on May 12, 2010 in Appetizers, Healthy Fare and Side Dishes. 11 Comments Tags: , , , .

I love a good culinary challenge – especially one involving a delicious ingredient like avocados. The Challenge by the Avocados from Mexico folks, including anthropologist/chef Rick Bayless, is to try avocados in a new type of cuisine (ie., not Mexican), and cilantro is forbidden as an ingredient.  An avocado adventure – I’m definitely game.

I have been working on this recipe for about a year – trying various combinations of eggs and different liquids. I won’t bore you with the more than 25 (NO, I am NOT making that up!) failed or marginal versions, but share with you here only my final and favorite version: Avocados and Coconut Milk – truly smooth and luscious.

This recipe uses avocados in two novel ways – 1) with Asian ingredients, and 2) by cooking them. I know, I know. People don’t generally cook avocados, although battered and deep fried avocados are all the rage with some folks. But, trust me – this gentle, low-heat, water-bath method is perfect for that yummy creamy green flesh. It turns out that avocados make delicious custards.

Move over, Guacamole. It’s time for a new avocado classic!

Continue reading ‘Avocado Challenge: Avocado Coconut Milk Custards with Toasted Spiced Hazelnuts’

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